Director of the Office in Madrid and and Chief Investigator of the European Council on Foreing Relacions (ECFR)

Mr. Antonio Vitorino

General Director of OIM United Nations

Mr. Hugh Elliot

Ambassador of United Kingdom to the Spain

Ms. Mira Milosevich

Resercher of Real Instituto Elcano and associate professor at IE University

First Edition 2019

The first edition of La Toja Forum-Atlantic Link brought together nearly 30 high-level speakers and over 200 prominent representatives from companies, institutions and organisations connected with the economic, political and academic world.

The great media impact of its discussions has positioned La Toja Forum-Atlantic Link as an essential space for dialogue between both Atlantic coasts. Since its first edition, it has succeeded in becoming a benchmark for public conversation, an invitation to analyse the challenges that we share, the problems that we must face and the possibility of doing so together.

9 tables 164 accredited journalists

30 speakers 30 speakers

3 days of discussion

Central themes

Forum Boards

Board

The future of liberal democracy

Representative democracy, the core of the Atlantic value system, is undergoing a serious crisis. From the outside - the authoritarianism and the advance of illiberal regimes - and from within - the populisms that take advantage of democracy to undermine it - the threats are there: excluding nationalisms, distrust in the institutions, messianic and authoritarian leaders, alternative reality ... What is the future of liberal democracy? How to deal with disaffection among the citizens? What answers are there for those real problems that stir up discontent?

Boards

What is the Atlantic area?

The US administration only focuses on China, and Asia focuses on itself. The Atlantic area, in all its diversity, can either consolidate its position as a benchmark, or stand aside and take a subordinate place in the new global order and technological revolutions. Is there really an Atlantic area? What challenges do we share and what threats do we face? Which problems could be approached jointly? What kind of Atlantic area do we need for the XXIst century?

Boards

Social unrest and political revolution

In Europe and America, similar recent narratives can be found: the growth of populism and the deterioration of the institutions are the responses of societies startled by a present in which they lose, and a future they do not understand. Populism appeals to passion and emotion: the new leaders, authoritarian and messianic, gain power or votes on the right and left by exploiting the politics of identity and tribe. Is it true that for the first time in history, the liberal democracies are incapable of offering their citizens a prosperous future? Are there regimes behind the organisation of social unrest? Do the crisis of the media and the rise of social networks worsen the fire? What can be done to improve the public sphere?

Boards

Who will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

After the digital revolution - and thanks to it - the era of technological advances arrives. How will the future of the digital world be defined? Will it be marked by the liberal and democratic model that inspires the West or by the commercial aggressiveness and authoritarian principles that inspire China's success? Industry 4.0 is the era of intelligent factories through automation and data exchange, but the new frontier is that of Digital Intelligence. It will change how we live, how we work, how we interact. Will consumers come out ahead, at the expenses of a gigantic disruption in labour markets? How will regulators, public authorities and democratic systems adapt to the new world? Will this revolution be led only by those innovators who evolve and reach the appropriate levels of transparency and efficiency? Has Europe definitely lost any chance of leadership in the field?

Boards

Artificial Intelligence: the future is already here

Artificial intelligence is the new frontier of knowledge. Machines that learn from their own experience, capable of processing millions of pieces of data in record time and making decisions accordingly. Just how far can Artificial Intelligence go in its development? How can we guarantee that humans will not lose control of this development? Should we worry about the prospect of a cyber-leviathan?

Boards

Will our current model of society survive a fourth industrial revolution?

The fourth industrial revolution, just like its three predecessors, will bring about change in our work relationships and in our social model. Thousands of jobs will disappear, and new ones will emerge. What role will be left for workers in an economy that is increasingly automated? How can we prepare ourselves to avoid lagging behind in this new industrial revolution? Will our robots finance our new welfare state?

Boards

Three perspectives on Spain

In the last third of the previous century and the beginning of this one, Spain has been the driving force behind one of the most brilliant and ambitious development processes worldwide. Nevertheless, our collective success is not devoid of shadows and extremely demanding challenges in our immediate future. What are Spain’s strengths? How do we see ourselves and how do others see us? What should we do to continue moving forward on the path to progress that we set out on fifty years ago?

Boards

Migration: the biggest challenge of the 21st century?

Trump won the US elections promising to build a wall to stem immigration. Most European countries consider that immigration is the main problem the European Union has to face. Our societies have stopped being homogenous, an issue that populists and nationalists like to stir up to generate fear and xenophobia. Spain has known how to stay on the side-lines of this trend, but for how long? Will Europe survive the tensions caused by immigration?

Boards

Brexit: journey to the unknown

The deadline for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union is just days away. The worst-case scenario, the breakup with the Union has been surpassed by a situation that is even worse: an abrupt, no-deal breakup. What should we expect from now on? Are we at the onset of the decline of the European Dream? Will the United Kingdom carry on being the same country or will it also pay the consequences of the breakup?

Media coverage

The significance of the forum sparked great interest among the media and journalists, who covered the event in great detail

Legal notice
1. IDENTIFICATION OF PARTIES. The terms and conditions indicated below regulate the access and use of the URL www.grupohotusa.com (hereinafter, the PORTAL), owned by Hotusa Hotels S.A., (hereinafter HOTUSA), with company name and registered address HOTUSA, C/ Xaudaró, 24 28034 Madrid, and with tax ID number A-08452567, registered in the Commercial Registry of Barcelona, Folio 220, Volume 3,385 of Companies, Sheet number 35,787, 1st Entry 30/09/1997, and, party of the second part, the natural person, hereinafter the USER, who accesses the page to learn about and make use of the services offered through the portal. Before contracting, it is necessary for the USER to read these Contracting Conditions and expressly accept them by clicking on the button at the end of the form, "I have read and accept the Contracting Conditions". In the event you do not accept these Conditions, you must refrain from contracting the services offered by HOTUSA. 2. PURPOSE OF THE SERVICES OFFERED. HOTUSA offers its services through the use of the website www.grupohotusa.com (hereinafter the WEBSITE) from which the user is offered tourism-related services. For the provision of these services, HOTUSA has all the necessary permits and licenses to carry out its activity. These general terms and conditions of use regulate the generic use of the portal, as well as the effective contracting of hotel booking services. However, specific bookings will be subject to the specific terms and conditions established for each case. Likewise, the USER agrees to accept and respect the terms and conditions of purchase established by any hotel entity with which the USER chooses to contract, including but not limited to the payment of any amounts accrued and compliance with any rules and restrictions regarding the availability of rates, products or services. In the event that there are any special rules or restrictions that affect certain rates, products or services selected by the USER, such special rules or restrictions will be displayed to the USER on the screen before proceeding with the booking. And, party of the second part, the natural person, hereinafter the USER, who accesses the page to inquire and contract the services offered through the portal. 3. PREVIOUS REQUIREMENTS. To start the contracting process, the USER must meet the following preconditions, which are not included in the aforementioned contracting process: Search for one or more services through the corresponding Search Engine made available for this purpose by HOTUSA on the WEBSITE, and select the product(s) or service(s) of interest to them. Accept these General Terms and Conditions, offered prior to the start of the contracting process, and available on the WEBSITE for download and printing. Such acceptance will be made by clicking on a box provided for this purpose, with the text "I have read and accept the purchase conditions." 4. CONTRACTING PROCEDURES. The contracting of services through the WEBSITE will be based on the following process: Once these General Terms and Conditions have been accepted and the service selected, the USER will access a page where they will be asked to enter the personal data of the beneficiary in whose name the booking is being made. All data collected will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy of the WEBSITE. Secondly, the data required for payment of the selected service will be requested by credit card only and through the payment gateway established for this purpose. Likewise, the data collected will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy of the WEBSITE. The bookings by the USER will be subject to the specific terms and conditions the suppliers or organisers of said products or services establish for each case, and which are provided for in the following clause. Likewise, you agree to accept and respect these booking terms and conditions, including but not limited to compliance with any rules and restrictions regarding the availability of rates, products or services. The USER will give their consent by clicking on the "Make a purchase" button, which appears at the bottom of the page where payment details are requested. Said confirmation will be sent electronically to HOTUSA, who will take care of its storage and conservation to guarantee the process. The confirmation of the purchase by the service provider will imply, in any case, the completion of the contract, and the commitment by the client to the accrual of the established amounts. Once consent has been given, a page confirming the purchase will be displayed on the screen, and an e-mail will be sent to the client with the relevant information. 5. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS. The specific conditions of each service, including, among others, prices, changes, cancellations, and other aspects not covered by these General Terms and Conditions, will be governed by the provisions of the corresponding service providers, and will be subject to modifications for which HOTUSA as a mere intermediary accepts no obligation or responsibility. Said Specific Conditions shall be understood as accepted in accordance with the provisions of the preceding clause. In the event that these specific conditions do not allow changes or cancellations by the client, the client will not be entitled to a refund of the amount paid to HOTUSA for the booking. 6. OBLIGATIONS OF HOTUSA. HOTUSA is bound to the following: Make every effort in carrying out the necessary procedures to finalise the acquisition by the USER of the service contracted by them through the WEBSITE. Provide the USER with the documents needed to use the contracted service. Comply with the other obligations laid down in these General Terms and Conditions, as well as in the Specific Conditions provided in the Fifth Clause. 7. OBLIGATIONS OF THE USER. The USER agrees to the following: - Pay the corresponding amounts, including taxes and fees. - Be personally accountable for the authenticity of the data provided, as well as for the correlation of said data with their identity on expressing consent and making the payment. - Accept any responsibility arising from the non-possession of the documentation required to use the contracted service, making sure they are informed of the requirements in this regard, and expressly including those referring to border access to third countries. - Comply with the other obligations set out in these General Terms and Conditions, as well as in the Specific Conditions laid down in the Fifth Clause. 8. RESPONSIBILITIES. The parties acknowledge that HOTUSA, given its condition as a mere intermediary between service providers and the USER, is solely responsible with regards to the same in the terms provided in the applicable legislation on travel agencies. Likewise, it is recognised that HOTUSA cannot guarantee the absolute continuity of the service or the absence of computer viruses in the services provided through its network, which may damage the programmes or documents stored in its information systems, although it make every effort to prevent these circumstances from occurring. HOTUSA will not be responsible for the lack of veracity, inaccuracy or outdated information of those times, prices, and other relevant information on the services offered through the website by their respective providers, nor for non-compliance or defective fulfilment by them of the obligations arising from the regulations in force and the terms and conditions of sale of each of the bookings contracted through the WEBSITE. If due to force majeure (including but not limited to political or economic disorders or instabilities that affect security), deficiencies in bookings, confirmations and/or execution of any trips or services contracted through HOTUSA, for circumstances that are not foreseeable or solvable by HOTUSA or if even the fulfilment of some of the agreed services is impossible, the client waives to file any type of claim against HOTUSA and/or the companies of the HOTUSA group, currently or in the future, for these deficiencies or breaches, unless a lack of professional diligence by HOTUSA is determined. 9. IMPOSSIBILITY OF HANDWRITTEN SIGNATURE. Due to the special characteristics of remote contracting, the USER acknowledges the impossibility of signing the payment slip, understood as that document by which the agreement of the transaction is usually provided. For this reason they waive the signing of the same for all electronic transactions generated as a result of the booking through the WEBSITE of any of the services offered therein, expressing their agreement through the procedure provided in the Fourth Clause of these General Contracting Conditions. 10. CORRECTION OF ERRORS. HOTUSA offers its clients the e-mail address atencion.cliente@hotusa.com, which the USER may contact in case of detecting any error while entering data during the contracting process. To that effect, they will have 24 hours to communicate this to HOTUSA, starting from the moment of confirmation of the purchase. 11. MODIFICATION. HOTUSA may unilaterally modify, at any time it deems necessary, these General Terms and Conditions, as well as introduce new clauses in them. These modifications must be announced on the homepage of the WEBSITE with a notice of two (2) weeks, and in no case will they affect the contractual relationships completed prior to them. 12. DATA PROTECTION.. Any data processing arising from the execution and fulfilment of these General Terms and Conditions will comply with the provisions of the Privacy Policy that is made available to the client on the WEBSITE, and that will be understood for these purposes as an integral part of these Terms and Conditions. (Spain). 13. SAFEGUARD.. The declaration of invalidity of any or some of the clauses of these General Terms and Conditions by the competent authority shall not prejudice the validity of the remaining ones. In this case, HOTUSA undertakes to draft a new clause replacing the annulled clause with one as similar as possible. If the replacement is impossible and the clause is essential for the Contract from the point of view of the party affected by its deletion, the latter may choose to terminate the Contract. FINAL. JURISDICTION. With express waiver of the jurisdiction that may correspond to them, both parties submit to the jurisdiction and authority of the courts of the client's address. Our website does not constitute and cannot be seen as a recommendation or promotion of the quality, level of service or rating of a hotel. The rating of hotels by stars, carried out in accordance with international conventions, provides non-binding information about the hotel's category. The rating used in HOTUSA is based on the evaluation made by the hotels themselves, which has been verified by HOTUSA according to its own evaluation system, and on the experiences of its clients. Additional information and hotel descriptions are also based on information provided by the hotel itself.